Central Notes: Rivers, Buzelis, Donovan, Furphy
With Doc Rivers not returning next season as head coach of the Bucks, the team will face some significant questions beyond the status of star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
While there has been speculation that Rivers could move into a front office position with the team, it appears that the idea of taking a step away from the NBA for a while could be attractive to the 64-year-old Hall of Famer, according to Eric Nehm and Sam Amick of The Athletic. Rivers alluded to that possibility after Sunday’s regular season finale when he was asked about his future.
“I can tell you we’re all on the same page,” Rivers said. “We’ve talked about it, and we want it out pretty quick. I just want them to do it, it’s better. But I think you guys pretty much know.”
Rivers is disappointed with how his tenure with the Bucks played out, but said he enjoyed the challenges presented by the team in its various forms during his time in Milwaukee.
“We could have had better health. We could have had all kinds of things,” he said. “I’m not a big guy at looking back. All you can do is look forward. We did a lot of things to improve a lot of the young guys. Unfortunately, that was the road that kind of presented itself for us, and we did that.”
We have more from around the Central Division:
- Matas Buzelis, who missed the Bulls‘ season finale with an ankle injury, is already looking ahead to his offseason work and proving the team that he’s a foundational piece worth building around, Joe Cowley writes for the Chicago Sun-Times. “I know this summer I am going to work my butt off,” Buzelis said. “The whole summer, it’s going to be a hard summer for me. Getting my body stronger and sharpening pretty much everything. But mainly the body part, the shot, the handle, just everything. The main thing will be [adding] the strength.”
- Head coach Billy Donovan wants to sit down with the Bulls to discuss what he considers to be a pivot point in the franchise’s trajectory, Christian Clark writes for The Athletic. “[Team president Michael Reinsdorf] said he wants to build something that’s sustainable,” Donovan said. “I agree with that. It needs to be something that’s going to be long-term.” Donovan has his young star forward’s support. “I want him to stay,” Buzelis said of his coach. “I’m riding with him forever.”
- Second-year Pacers forward Johnny Furphy is now nearly seven weeks removed from ACL surgery and has hit some important milestones recently, according to Scott Agness of the Fieldhouse Files (Twitter link). “Just got off crutches. That was a big milestone for me,” he said. “I’m moving around a lot more now without crutches. So it’s been a big week for me.”
Ten Postseason Seeds Up For Grabs On Final Day Of Regular Season
While we’ve known which 20 NBA teams will be competing in the 2025/26 postseason for some time, 10 seeds are still in flux entering April 12, the final day of the 2025/26 regular season. Most importantly, three Eastern Conference teams are still vying for the final guaranteed playoff spot ahead of Sunday’s slate of games, which will see all 30 teams take the floor.
Here are the current playoff and play-in standings in both conferences, as well as where each team could finish, per the league (Twitter links).
Eastern Conference:
- Detroit Pistons (59-22)
- Boston Celtics (55-26)
- New York Knicks (53-28)
- Cleveland Cavaliers (51-30)
- Atlanta Hawks (46-35) — fifth or sixth
- Toronto Raptors (45-36) — fifth, sixth, seventh or eighth
- Orlando Magic (45-36) — sixth, seventh or eighth
- Philadelphia 76ers (44-37) — sixth, seventh or eighth
- Charlotte Hornets (43-38) — ninth or 10th
- Miami Heat (42-39) — ninth or 10th
Western Conference:
- Oklahoma City Thunder (64-17)
- San Antonio Spurs (62-19)
- Denver Nuggets (53-28) — third or fourth
- Los Angeles Lakers (52-29) — third or fourth
- Houston Rockets (51-30)
- Minnesota Timberwolves (48-33)
- Phoenix Suns (44-37)
- Portland Trail Blazers (41-40) — eighth or ninth
- Los Angeles Clippers (41-40) — eighth or ninth
- Golden State Warriors (37-44)
Notes: Teams in bold are locked in to their current seeds. A top-six seed ensures a guaranteed playoff spot, while the Nos. 7-10 teams will compete in the play-in tournament to determine the seventh and eighth seeds in each conference.
The most critical matchup Sunday is Brooklyn at Toronto. If the Raptors win, they can finish no worse than sixth place, securing the final guaranteed playoff berth.
The Hawks have ruled out most of their top players ahead of Sunday’s game at the Heat after securing a guaranteed playoff spot on Friday, tweets Brad Rowland of Locked on Hawks. That matters for Miami, because if they beat Atlanta and the Hornets lose at New York, the Heat would move ahead of Charlotte due to a head-to-head tiebreaker. That said, the Knicks will be playing without four of their five starters tonight, and if the Hornets win, they stay at No. 9.
It would be shocking if the Raptors don’t win Sunday, since the tanking Nets have already ruled out nine players (a 10th is doubtful) and have an incentive to lose the game. We’ll get more into that shortly.
Still, if the Raptors do lose Sunday’s game, it opens the door for the Magic or Sixers to move up to No. 6. A Raptors loss combined with a Magic win at Boston — the Celtics are likely to be without their top-seven rotation members — would see Orlando earn the guaranteed playoff berth. The 76ers, who face Milwaukee, need to win and need Toronto and Orlando to lose to move up two spots.
If the Hawks, Raptors, Magic and Sixers all win, they will finish where they currently are in the standings.
In the West, the scenarios are more straightforward. If the Nuggets win at San Antonio, they stay at No. 3. If they lose and the Lakers beat the Jazz, Denver and Los Angeles will switch places in the standings.
The Trail Blazers hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Clippers, so if they beat Sacramento tonight they will finish No. 8. The Clippers could move up if they beat Golden State and Portland loses to the Kings.
Lottery odds and traded draft picks
At the other end of the standings, the Wizards (17-64) have clinched the worst record in the league and thus have the top draft-lottery floor, notes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Washington has a 52.1% chance at landing a top-four pick in the 2026 draft lottery and 47.9% odds at No. 5, which is the worst selection the team can end up with.
The Pacers (19-62) and Nets (20-61) are also guaranteed to finish with bottom-three records and will have identical 52.1% odds at moving into the top four, including a 14.0% chance at No. 1 overall. If the Nets lose this evening and the Pacers beat Detroit, the two teams would tie and a coin flip would determine which team has the second-best lottery floor. The winner of the coin flip can finish no worse than sixth in the draft lottery, while the loser can finish no worse than seventh.
The Clippers will be hoping the Pacers lose tonight, since Indiana will send its 2026 first-round pick to L.A. if it lands outside the top four. The Pacers will retain the pick if it stays in its protected range (top four).
Several other lottery situations are still in flux entering Sunday. The Jazz and Kings are currently tied for the fourth-worst record (22-59), the Grizzlies and Mavericks are tied for the sixth-worst record (25-56), and the Pelicans (26-55) have a chance at making the latter situation a three-way tie. The Hawks will be hoping the Pelicans lose and Grizzlies and Mavericks win, since they control the better of New Orleans’ or Milwaukee’s first-rounders.
Utah will send its first-round pick to the Thunder if it’s not in the top eight. But even if the Jazz finish with the NBA’s fifth-worst record (or finish tied for the fourth-worst record and lose a coin flip), the odds of their pick landing at No. 9 would be minuscule (0.6%).
There’s a chance the Bulls (31-50) and Bucks (32-49) could have a coin flip for the ninth and tenth spots. It would require Chicago to win at Dallas and Milwaukee to lose at Philadelphia.
The four other lottery teams will be the four clubs that are eliminated in the play-in tournament.
Central Notes: Cavs, Wade, Siakam, Donovan, Bulls
With the playoffs around the corner, Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson is still considering what his starting and closing lineups will look like, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required). As Fedor points out, the fact that Dean Wade immediately reentered the starting five in his Wednesday return from a seven-game absence due to an ankle sprain bodes well for the forward’s chances of keeping that role during the postseason.
“We have the data, how good he’s been with that group,” Atkinson said of starting Wade. “We’ve been struggling a little bit defensively. He obviously adds that element and when he makes a three(-pointer) or two like he did, that helps us tremendously.”
Wade, Jaylon Tyson, Sam Merrill, and Max Strus have all dealt with health issues this season and have been active at the same time in just two games this season, so Atkinson acknowledged that availability will be the first factor that determines his playoff rotation. With Wade on a minutes restriction and Tyson still sidelined with a toe injury on Wednesday, it was Merrill who closed the game for Cleveland.
“I feel confident with Sam’s ability,” Atkinson said of that decision. “That’s the hard one. You’re going to have probably three, four people to choose from, I would think. You guys are going to say, ‘Why didn’t you play this guy?’ So, we’ve got to make those decisions, we’ve got to make the right decisions under pressure.”
We have more from around the Central:
- As a result of missing Thursday’s game in Brooklyn due to a left ankle sprain, Pacers forward Pascal Siakam will fall short of the 65-game threshold to be eligible for end-of-season awards, notes Tony East of Circle City Spin (Twitter link). Based on Indiana’s record (19-61), Siakam was a long shot for All-NBA recognition anyway, but he has had an excellent individual season, averaging 24.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game while shooting 48.4% from the floor, including 35.8% on three-pointers.
- Responding on Thursday to Bulls president Michael Reinsdorf‘s assertion that the team doesn’t want to hire a head of basketball operations who isn’t a fan of Billy Donovan, the veteran head coach suggested to reporters, including Ian Nicholas Quillen of The Associated Press, not to read too much into it. “I think Michael was making the point of how he felt about me,” Donovan said. “But I also understand that, like I said, everybody’s got to look out for what is best for the Bulls at that point in time.”
- Addressing several Bulls-related topics in a mailbag for The Chicago Tribune (subscription required), Julia Poe says that investing in player development and scouting should be a priority under the next front office, writing that Arturas Karnisovas was “lacking notably in his willingness to fill out staffing in key departments and allowed personal issues to dictate his personnel management.”
- In his preview of their offseason, Bobby Marks of ESPN (YouTube link) looks at potential next steps for the Bulls and explains why the team needs to be careful about how it uses its significant cap room this summer.
And-Ones: NBA Awards Picks, G League Awards
Reigning Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander claims two awards on the unofficial ballot of Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports: MVP and Clutch Player of the Year.
To be clear, Devine does have an official vote for year-end awards, but those ballots aren’t sent out until the regular season concludes on April 12. Devine also notes that he may be forced to change some of his picks, depending on which players are eligible.
Victor Wembanyama, for example, needs to play at least 20 minutes in one of San Antonio’s remaining two games to be eligible for awards consideration. The French big man is Devine’s choice for Defensive Player of the Year and is his runner-up for MVP, ahead of Nikola Jokic.
Kon Knueppel (Rookie of the Year) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Most Improved Player) are a couple of Devine’s other awards picks.
Here are a few more awards-related stories and announcements:
- There’s quite a bit of overlap between Devine’s awards picks and the tentative selections of Zach Harper of The Athletic. Both writers have Joe Mazzulla, J.B. Bickerstaff and Mitch Johnson as the three finalists, in order of how they finish, for Coach of the Year, and Keldon Johnson, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Tim Hardaway Jr. as their top three picks for Sixth Man of the Year.
- Michael Pina of The Ringer lists his three All-NBA, two All-Defensive, and two All-Rookie teams. Pina’s first-team All-NBA picks are Kawhi Leonard, Jaylen Brown, Gilgeous-Alexander, Wembanyama and Jokic; his All-Defensive First Team selections are Wembanyama, Derrick White, Scottie Barnes, Ausar Thompson and Chet Holmgren; and his top-five rookies are Knueppel, Cooper Flagg, VJ Edgecombe, Dylan Harper and Derik Queen.
- The NBA G League has announced its All-Defensive and All-Rookie teams, which are each comprised of five players (Twitter links via the NBA). The All-Defensive selections are Jamarion Sharp (Texas Legends), Chris Manon (South Bay Lakers), Alijah Martin (Raptors 905), Andersson Garcia (Mexico City Capitanes) and Jalen Slawson (Noblesville Boom), while the All-Rookie team consists of Raptors 905 standout Martin, Norchad Omier and Sean Pedulla of the San Diego Clippers, Keshon Gilbert (College Park Skyhawks) and RJ Davis (South Bay Lakers). Martin, Manon, Slawson (Pacers), Omier and Pedulla are on two-way contracts with their respective NBA teams.
Central Notes: Haliburton, Cunningham, Stewart, Harden
Tyrese Haliburton played five-on-five basketball on Wednesday for the first time since tearing his Achilles in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals series, the Pacers guard tweeted today. Haliburton recently spoke about his recovery and his choice not to set concrete goals for next season outside of playing as the best version of himself.
As Scott Agness of the Fieldhouse Files notes (via Twitter), this is week 41 of Haliburton’s recovery. For reference, Jayson Tatum returned to play for the Celtics roughly 43 weeks after his own surgery from an Achilles rupture.
Haliburton also recently opened up about dealing with a bout of shingles while continuing his Achilles rehab.
We have more from around the Central Division:
- Cade Cunningham returned from injury today in the Pistons‘ matchup against the Bucks, as expected. Cunningham missed 11 games with a left lung pneumothorax, which is his longest absence since the 2022/23 season, Hunter Patterson writes for The Athletic. Patterson spoke with Dr. Daniel H. Sterman, the director of NYU Langone Medical Center’s pulmonary division, who speculated that there shouldn’t be major risk of Cunningham’s ailment reoccurring due to the fact that it was sustained as part of a collision, rather than spontaneously with no outside interference.
- Isaiah Stewart, who also returned for the Pistons on Wednesday, tried to play through his left calf strain for a time, but the pain made it ultimately impossible for him to do so, writes Coty M. Davis of The Detroit News. “That time (off) allowed me to settle down and allowed me to feel better and feel like myself,” Stewart said. “Obviously, it was tough. But at the end of the day, I want to be there for my teammates come the playoffs. I’ll be able to play and be available, which is the most important thing.” While Stewart came to terms with his absence, he is frustrated by one thing: his ineligibility for end-of-season awards. The big man likely received All-Defensive votes if he had qualified. However, Stewart prioritized being healthy for the playoffs, as he missed last year’s postseason run and was determined not to do so again this season.
- When James Harden came to the Cavaliers in the Darius Garland trade, he brought a pregame habit with him: going through walk-throughs in hotel ballrooms during road games without shootarounds. “It’s just preparation, detail, you get ready for the game,” Harden said, per Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “Physically you get out and move around, and mentally you have to be prepared. It’s just preparation man, especially going into this run that we are about to go into. I think the focus is making sure we know who we’re playing against and individual guys and what they like to do with their tendencies.” Head coach Kenny Atkinson was initially skeptical of the ask, but he has grown to appreciate it — as well as how quickly the star guard has acclimated to his new team. “He’s completely adapted to our style of play, which is pretty, I would assume, rare,” Atkinson said.
Pacers Notes: Humbling Season, Siakam, Injuries, Offseason
David Aldridge of The Athletic takes a look at the “humbling” season the Pacers have endured in 2025/26 after they were two quarters away from winning their first NBA championship last June. Indiana is just 18-59 with five regular season games remaining in ’25/26.
“We talk a lot about just staying with the process,” guard Andrew Nembhard said. “I think it’s the competitiveness, bringing that energy every night, kind of when the season’s getting to the end, and it’s already out of (playoff) contention. It’s something you’ve got to work on. It’s only going to make us better for next season, having that competitive energy when it doesn’t really matter.”
The Pacers have been decimated by injuries this season, opening the campaign with a 1-13 record and signing several replacement players to temporary hardship deals in the fall. Head coach Rick Carlisle admits it was a “daunting” task to find consistency with so many players in and out of the lineup.
“When things get like this,” Carlisle said, “you’ve just got to find a way to operate that’s consistent and positive. That’s the tack that we’ve taken. The players have been terrific. … We acquire guys that are great people along with being good players. If you don’t have that kind of character, something like this can be a lot more arduous.”
Here’s more on the Pacers:
- All-Star forward Pascal Siakam suffered a left ankle sprain and a lower back bruise in the fourth quarter of Friday’s loss to Charlotte and has been ruled out of Sunday’s game in Cleveland, relays Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (subscriber link). Only Siakam’s ankle sprain is listed on the NBA’s official injury report.
- Siakam isn’t the only starter who will be sidelined Sunday, as Nembhard (thoracic and lumbar injury management), Aaron Nesmith (cervical strain) and key reserve T.J. McConnell (bilateral hamstring injury management) will be out as well. Ben Sheppard (right hip strain) and Jarace Walker (sacral contusion) are questionable to suit up against the Cavs.
- Keith Smith of Spotrac previews the Pacers’ offseason, writing that he doesn’t expect the team to make a major splash on the trade market after acquiring Ivica Zubac ahead of the February deadline. Indiana projects to be over the first tax apron if it keeps its top-four protected 2026 first-round pick, Smith notes, so a cost-cutting move could be on the horizon for a team that hasn’t been a taxpayer in more than 20 years. If the pick lands between Nos. 5-9 and conveys to the Clippers, the Pacers could end up being just below the 2026/27 luxury tax line, Smith adds.
NBA Tells 13 Teams To Look For New Regional TV Deals
The NBA has informed the 13 teams affiliated with Main Street Sports Group that they’re free to seek new in-market media rights deals ahead of the 2026/27 season, reports Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal.
Main Street, previously known as Diamond Sports Group, runs FanDuel Sports Network, which broadcasts local and regional TV games for the Thunder, Spurs, Pistons, Cavaliers, Clippers, Heat, Timberwolves, Magic, Hornets, Hawks, Pacers, Grizzlies, and Bucks. However, the company is headed for insolvency and will discontinue broadcasting for those teams when the regular season concludes on April 12.
“FanDuel Sports Network has reached agreements with the NBA and NHL to broadcast games and other programming through the end of the 2026 NBA regular season and the end of the first round of the NHL playoffs,” a Main Street Sports Group spokesperson said in a statement to Sports Business Journal.
“We are preparing to wind down our operations upon seasons’ end unless we reach a strategic transaction. We’re pleased to finish out the NBA and NHL seasons, and we appreciate the collaborative relationships we have enjoyed with our team and league partners as well as the connections we have fostered with local fans.”
While this has been an expected outcome for months, it leaves nearly half of the teams in the league without in-market broadcasting contracts for next season. According to Friend, the 13 teams could opt for over-the-air channels or streaming options (or both), but whichever route they take, the league has been urging those clubs to sign one-year agreements or to at least have an opt-out after one season, so they can join the streaming hub for local broadcasts the NBA plans to launch down the line.
While previous reporting indicated the NBA might try to launch that streaming RSN hub for 2026/27, it didn’t come up at last month’s Board of Governors meetings, Friend writes, and teams are operating as though it won’t be ready until ’27/28 at the earliest. DAZN has been aggressively reaching out to those 13 clubs to try and secure media rights with an eye on possibly running the streaming RSN platform.
As Friend details, DAZN could have competition for that national streaming project, with Amazon, YouTube TV and the ESPN app all potentially in the mix. DAZN also has competition for local rights, as multiple teams are considering streaming-only options instead of having over-the-air broadcasts. Victory+ (streaming only), ViewLift (Altitude for Denver and Monumental for Washington) and Kiswe (Jazz) are the other companies vying for regional streaming projects.
None of the 13 teams have received rights fee payments from Main Street in 2026, but multiple sources tell friend each club could receive up to 60% of its lost TV money once dissolution agreements are finalized with the NBA and Main Street.
Those lost payments impacted the latest salary cap projection for 2026/27, decreasing it by $1MM. It’s unclear whether the projection might bounce back slightly if part of that lost money is recouped or if that was already factored into the most recent estimate.
Pacers Sports and Entertainment CEO Mel Raines confirmed to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star that Indiana is seeking a new broadcast partner for next season.
“We’re throwing a very wide net and looking to both potential over-the-air partners and direct-to-consumer partners and looking at every possible option to reach as many of our fans as we can next season over local television,” Raines said.
Central Notes: Toppin, Giddey, Antetokounmpos, Haliburton, Pacers
Pacers forward Obi Toppin has scored double-digit points in seven of his last nine contests. He missed most of the season while recovering from foot surgery and has gotten more comfortable with each game, he told Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star.
“When I’m out there on the floor, I really try not to think about my foot,” Toppin said. “Adrenaline is pumping. We’re just super fast running up and down the court. Those lobs or putbacks I got are just reactive things. I don’t think about my foot in those situations. It’s just, get the ball in the rim.”
Toppin has been on a minutes restriction since his return and has yet to play more than 23 minutes in a game. He agrees with that plan.
“It’s not frustrating,” said Toppin, who has two years and $31MM left on his contract after this season. “Obviously, we’re doing it for a reason. I trust coach’s judgment always. He’s been doing this for a long time and we have the best trainers in the world. Whatever they say, I’m going to do. I feel good out there. I know I had like 20 minutes (against the Lakers). I felt really good, but I’m still getting back. I don’t feel like I’m 100 percent back yet. I’m still getting back, getting my feet under me and still getting that feel.”
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- Josh Giddey has three full seasons remaining on his four-year, $100MM contract. The Bulls point guard would like to know just what the front office plans to do to make the club a contender, according to Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune. “Everyone wants to know what’s going on,” Giddey said. “We want to know what the strategy is going forward. If you look at the way this team’s put together now, I don’t know if we’re put together to win a championship this year or whether we’re going into a rebuild or a younger phase.” Over its last 30 games, Chicago is 6-24.
- It’s logical to assume that Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s brother knows whether the superstar will remain with the Bucks or ask for a trade this offseason. That’s not the case, Eurohoops.net relays. Speaking to Toni Canyameras of Mundo Deportivo, Alex Antetokounmpo said he’s not sure, either. “I don’t know. I hope (he stays). We all love him here in Milwaukee, we all want him to stay here in Milwaukee,” said Alex , who is on a two-way deal. “So whatever he decides. I’m his family, but when I mean his family, his kids and wife decide, it’s going to be what’s best for them.”
- Tyrese Haliburton‘s recovery from an Achilles tear was enough for the Pacers guard to endure, but he had another health issue this season. Haliburton endured a bout with shingles, which he discussed on NBA on Prime (Twitter video link). “It has been so awful,” he said.
- Pacers forwards Aaron Nesmith (cervical strain) and Jarace Walker (low back bruise) will sit out Wednesday’s game against the Bulls, coach Rick Carlisle told Dopirak. Andrew Nembhard (low back) and T.J. McConnell (right hamstring) have also been ruled out due to nagging injuries, according to the injury report released Tuesday evening.
NBA Announces Finalists For Sportsmanship, Teammate Of The Year Awards
The NBA announced the 2025/26 finalists for a pair of awards on Tuesday, naming the six players who are eligible to win the Sportsmanship Award for this season, as well as the 12 players who are in the running to be named Teammate of the Year.
The Sportsmanship Award honors the player who “best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court,” per the NBA. Each of the league’s 30 teams nominates one of its players for the award, then a panel of league executives narrows that group to six finalists (one from each division) and current players voted for the winner.
The trophy for the Sportsmanship Award is named after Joe Dumars, the Hall-of-Fame guard who won the inaugural award back in ’95/96. This season’s finalists are as follows (via Twitter):
Bam Adebayo (Heat)- Harrison Barnes (Spurs)
- Al Horford (Warriors)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
- T.J. McConnell (Pacers)
- Derrick White (Celtics)
Gilgeous-Alexander is the only one of this year’s finalists for the Sportsmanship Award who was also nominated last season. Whoever earns the honor for 2025/26 will be a first-time winner. Jrue Holiday took home the Joe Dumars Trophy a year ago.
Meanwhile, the NBA also announced its finalists for the Teammate of the Year award for 2025/26. According to the league, the player selected for the honor is “deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, on- and off-court leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players, and commitment and dedication to team.”
The voting process is similar to the Sportsmanship Award — a panel of league executives selects 12 finalists (six from each conference) for the award, then current players vote on the winner.
Holiday is a three-time Teammate of the Year, having earned the honor in 2020, 2022, and 2023. He’s the only past recipient who is among this season’s group of finalists.
Those Teammate of the Year finalists are as follows (via Twitter):
- Desmond Bane (Magic)
- Jalen Brunson (Knicks)
- Pat Connaughton (Hornets)
- De’Aaron Fox (Spurs)
- Jeff Green (Rockets)
- Jrue Holiday (Trail Blazers)
- DeAndre Jordan (Pelicans)
- Duncan Robinson (Pistons)
- Marcus Smart (Lakers)
- Jayson Tatum (Celtics)
- Garrett Temple (Raptors)
- Jaylin Williams (Thunder)
Pacers Notes: Jones, Sheppard, Mathurin, I. Jackson, Walker
Kam Jones‘ contract for next season is only 50% guaranteed, prompting Forbes contributor Tony East to consider what the Pacers might do with the rookie guard this offseason. East suggests that pushing back Jones’ guarantee date from June 30 to sometime in July, allowing him to play for Indiana’s Summer League team, is one option the two sides could explore.
The 38th overall pick of last year’s draft, Jones’ NBA debut was delayed until late December due to a back injury, and he has been in and out of the rotation the past few months, East notes. While the former Marquette standout is technically under contract through 2028/29, the final two seasons are fully non-guaranteed.
Jones’ future with the Pacers could be tied to whether or not the team keeps its top-four protected pick in the upcoming draft, East observes, since Indiana doesn’t have many roster spots available. Keeping Jones or waiving him and using the stretch provision to spread his 2026/27 cap hit over multiple seasons are among the other options for the Pacers, East adds.
Here’s more from Indiana:
- Third-year guard Ben Sheppard will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer. After a slow start to the season amid a wave of backcourt injuries, Sheppard has found his footing since he returned from a calf strain in late December, showing growth on the offensive end while taking on difficult defensive assignments, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (subscriber link). “I’ve been able to experiment within my game and my comfort level this season,” Sheppard said. “Just all the moving pieces, people coming in and out, offensive rhythm has been kinda off, but with all my coaches in my corner and my teammates in my corner just trying to be more aggressive and take my opportunities as they come. I feel like I’ve been finding my shot a lot of different ways that I haven’t gotten last year or the year before. Just creating a little bit more and just looking at the rim more.”
- In a story for his website Circle City Spin, East takes an inside look at the returns of Bennedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson, who faced the Pacers in Indianapolis on Friday night for the first time since they were traded to the Clippers ahead of the February deadline. The former first-round picks received a tribute video and a warm reception from fans during the first stoppage in play, which Mathurin appreciated. “It meant the world. Indy is like my first home. I was able to get drafted over here. Just being loved by the fans,” Mathurin said. “I love the fans. I would say that they were the best fans in the world. Now, we have a different group of fans. It’s all love.” Head coach Rick Carlisle called the moment “heartwarming” and said he was happy both players have played well for Los Angeles, per East. “We just weren’t going to be able to make it work with Benn contractually,” Carlisle said of Mathurin, who will be a restricted free agent in a few months (Twitter link via East).
- Jarace Walker suffered a head injury in the first quarter of Friday’s contest and was later ruled out for the remainder of the one-point loss because he was being evaluating for a concussion (Twitter link). Carlisle didn’t have much of an update on the third-year forward afterward, according to East. “I don’t know that he’s going to be in concussion protocol… we’ll see what’s what on Sunday,” Carlisle said.